362C Question on 28 inch bars

[Bullwinkle07]

Dear Arborist,

I have a new 362C with a 20 inch bar and that bar will stay on the saw 95% of the time. My main use is for cutting firewood and clear some land. I live in a area where some really big trees are dying and the wind is blowing them over. So I never have to actual drop these large trees, but they are down and in the way now.

So what I want to do is put a 28 inch bar with a skip tooth chain on my saw to get though a 42 inch tree I am working on now.

Looking in the 2019 Stihl catalog on page 64 they list part numbers of three possibility, but they give no explanation to what each part number is.

So my questions are :

Why do they make two different groove sizes ( .050 and .063 ) ??

And what bar would be best for my use??

Thanks ahead of time

Bullwinkle

 

[cuinrearview]

For 5% of the time I would use a 24" bar and cut from both sides. It still will be slow but the oiler will keep up and 24x2=48", plenty of capacity for your big trees. If you end up finding yourself cutting big wood more often I'd sell the 362 and get a 50 and 70cc saw.

The main concern for the different chain driver gauges for the firewood cutter is availability. Chain gauge seems to be a regional thing. Do your local shops stock more .063 or .050? There are other factors but for the firewood cutter they don't matter as much.

 

[regulate34]

I think a 28” and 20” bar are a good spread.

From what I read. The 362 might be a little light on the bar oil.

But you can stuff ms461 oil pump in it if you had too.

 

[regulate34]

Could go with a 18” and 24” bar too.

 

[catbuster]

The two gauges... Damn fine question. .063 allows more volume for oil and seems to do better in pitchy wood. It seems like .050 is the standard east of the rockies for 32” and under bars. I run .050 mostly now that I’m predominately east of the Mississippi.

As far as that length on a 362? There are guys out west that run a 32 on that size saw. I’m not saying that it will do a great job, nor would I even put a 28 on that saw in hardwood. I might run a 25 on it though. Just take your time.

As to who said 18 and 24... If he has a 20, what the hell sort of difference does two inches make? If he has a 20 it makes no sense to buy a bar and make or buy chains for something that makes nary a difference in the world, short of having wasted money.